Engaging with families through relevant, accessible worship and discipleship
Younger people are used to engaging and learning interactively: they want to take part and contribute in different ways. Fresh forms of church that encourage creativity and active involvement can help everyone, but especially families, children and young people, to understand faith in new ways and lead them to connect with God.
What creative approaches to church could you use to engage with families?
Find Resources
Looking for high quality resources check out the All Age Worship Resources and Engage Worship websites for a comprehensive suite of ideas and support:
All Age Worship - Christian Family Service Worship Resources
"Engage worship offers a wide variety of visual and written resources as well as some great songs. All the materials are high quality, professional and engaging." Anita, Bristol
Rhythm of Life
Check out our Rhythm of Life resources for families and young people:
Rhythm of Life for Young People
Established Models for Family Worship
Bubble Church
Bubble Church is a Sunday church service especially for babies, toddlers, and young families. It includes action songs, a Bible story, puppets and a simple activity.
Find out about how to run Bubble Church
If you want to find out more about how Bubble Church works contact the team at St Peter's, Bishopsworth who will be delighted to share their experiences: Bubble Church – St Peter's Bishopsworth. Enjoy the video below recorded with some key members of the Bubble Church team.
Messy Church
'It's Church, but not as you know it!' is the strapline on the Messy Church website. Many churches have found that the Messy Church resources have enabled them to develop and deepen their work with young families. More recently new Messy initiatives have started to emerge like Messy Vintage Church and Messy Forest Church.
Learn more about how to start Messy Church
St Nicholas Church in Yate have a long established Messy Church on the Second Sunday of the month. It runs alongside two other initiatives: Praise and Play and Who let the Dad's Out? If you want to find out how they run it and get advice contact them through their website: Contact | Yate Parish
Intentional Intergenerational Worship
'Intentionally Intergenerational is a fresh way of approaching ‘All-Age-Worship’, which moves away from separate teaching and songs for children and adults, aiming to bring people of all ages and faith stages together to meet with God and experience church in a way that is accessible, engaging and fun.' Diocese of Bath and Wells
A new initiative is emerging which may work well in churches where it is difficult to find people to run things like Bubble Church or Messy Church. This is being pioneered by Caroline Deakin or St Peter's Church, Weston Super Mare in the Diocese of Bath and Wells and it also being explored in Bristol by Rev David Brae at St Chad's, Patchway.
Message Caroline Deakin through the St Peter's website for more info